Improvement in door-keys



W. C. FREDERICK.

DOOR-KEY.

Patented Apr'1118, 1876.

Fly. 4-.

N. PETERS, PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D G.

UNITED STATES PATENT Qrrtoa WILLIAM G. FREDERICK, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN DOOR-KEYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 176,131, dated April 18, 1876; application filed December 23,1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM CROOKER FREDERICK, of M edtord, county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Door-Keys; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, is a description of my invention snflieient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The nature of my invention consists of providing a key with a spring-catch for preventing said key from being shoved out of the lock from the opposite side of the door to that which it is put in.

Figure 1 represents a key with my improvements attached. Fig. 2 represents the springcatch removed from the key. Fig. 3 repre sents a modification of my invention.

A is the shank of the key, with a slot cut in it for the spring-catch .G 1), shown in Fig. 2. The spring is kept in its place by a pin put through the shank of the key and the spring, or, if the springcatch shown in Fig.3 is used, its rear end may be fastened to the bow of the key by solder or otherwise, as shown in Fig. 1 by dotted lines. In case the spring, Fig. 3, is used. instead of Fig. 2, the arm or handle D will not go through the key, as in Fig. 1, but along the shank in the slot on the same side that the catch is on, and up on the bow, as indicated by the dotted lines. In putting the key into the lock the catch 0 will be depressed, but when it is fully in the lock the catch will Spring up, allowing the key to turn, but not' allowing it to be withdrawn or pushed out. The catch can be pushed in and the key witlr drawn only by pressing down on the handle D, when the catch will fall and the key can be easily removed.

B is a loose ring on the end of the key, kept in its place by upsetting the end of the key or otherwise, and, if taken hold of by nippers or other instruments, it will turn on the key, but 

